How to Help Your Elderly Loved One Cut Back on the Caffeine

The month of March is National Caffeine Awareness Month, so it's a good time to start paying attention to what your loved one is eating and drinking. Too much caffeine, like too much of anything, can be bad for your loved one, so it's worth it to try some of these ideas.

Go Slowly with the Process

Cold turkey isn't the way to go if your elderly loved one needs to cut back on caffeine. Instead, it's much easier on her system to take the process slowly. Quitting caffeine immediately is only something that your loved one should do under her doctor's supervision to make sure that she's not under too much stress from the process.

Start Replacing a Beverage at a Time

Most people who are taking in a lot of caffeine are doing so through beverages. Your loved one might enjoy coffee, tea, or even soda throughout the day. Start tracking how many of each type of caffeinated beverages your loved one drinks and replace just one of them a day with water. Gradually, you can increase that to one more.

Look into Upping Her Activity Level

As your loved one cuts back on caffeine, you might find that she's starting to feel an energy dip. This can happen because caffeine and other ingredients might be giving her an artificial surge of energy. Adding exercise, if she's able, can help your loved one to keep her energy levels higher instead of allowing them to plummet. Talk to her doctor about what kinds of exercise she should do and how much is the right amount.

Pay Extra Attention to Nutritious Foods

Along with water and extra activity, putting good fuel into your loved one is essential. Look at what she's eating and start replacing empty calories and junk foods with fresh fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains. This will also help her energy levels while she's ditching some of the caffeine she's been taking in.

Hiring a home care provider can help you to be a bigger help to your loved one as she cuts back on caffeine. When you can't be there, they can help your loved one stay on target.

If you or an aging loved one are considering home care in Elsie, MI, please contact the caring staff at Seniors Helping Seniors of Lansing. Call today: 517-332-9953.